The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has issued a policy directive to require ways to increase what they call healthy transportation — walking, bicycling, and transit — for every project funded by MassDOT or with MassDOT design oversight to meet the state’s goal of tripling the miles traveled with active transportation by the year 2030.

MassDOT has officially adopted a policy that requires “all projects are designed and implemented in a way that all users have access to safe and comfortable healthy transportation options.”

This is an excellent direction for a DOT to take, it not only addresses health concerns and promotes preventative actions to save the state health department in the future, but it also encourages less costly infrastructure projects that will also save the state money.

The policy directive formalizes the agency’s commitment to the implementation and maintenance of transportation networks that serve all mode choices for their users that was announced in October 2012 as the department’s Mode Shift Goal. The statewide mode shift goal seeks to triple the distance traveled by walking, bicycling and transit by 2030.

To further MassDOT’s GreenDOT Implementation Plan, the Commonwealth’s Healthy Transportation Compact and statewide Mode Shift Goal, the Healthy Transportation Policy Directive is issued to ensure all MassDOT projects are designed and implemented in a way that all transportation users have access to safe and comfortable healthy transportation options for all MassDOT facilities and services.

The Healthy Transportation Policy Directive requires ways to encourage more pedestrian, bicycle and transit travel for all new MassDOT funded projects.

Shayne has scanned and uploaded the complete policy directive here as a PDF.